How to reduce light pollution? 19 April 2022

Biodiversity threatened by light pollution

Water, air and soil pollution are now well identified as major problems for biodiversity and our health. Another type of pollution is just as harmful: pollution generated by artificial light sources at night.

This light pollution is an important factor in the disturbance of fauna and flora: disorientation of birds that lose their bearings, barrier effects or death traps for nocturnal insects, disruption of mammal feeding, modification of the plant cycle, adverse effects on sleep and health of human beings … The light generated by lighting systems at night has serious consequences on the life cycle of living beings.

Street lighting, the focus of concern

Outdoor lighting also raises questions about the energy consumption and budgets of local authorities: in France, the energy consumed by public lighting represents approximately 47% of the electricity consumption of local authorities (12.8 TWh, including 5.6 TWh per year for outdoor lighting), 16% of their consumption of all energies combined and 37% of their electricity bill*.

In recent years, public authorities and elected officials have taken up this problem, standards have been imposed and major renovation work has been undertaken on public lighting. Manufacturers are innovating to create alternatives and make it possible to use lighting or signage adapted and/or autonomous according to the needs and places considered.

Among these innovations, LuminoKrom® paint is an important contributor to enable local authorities to offer illuminated signage on bicycle and pedestrian facilities with a very low impact on the environment.

Photoluminescent marking, an alternative to public lighting

Reducing light pollution: the LuminoKrom® solution emits 10,000 times less light than public lighting

A lamp post or a stud has the function of lighting the environment with a wide radius and a high intensity: a lamp post has a luminance of 3 candelas on 200 m². On 100 m, with a lamp post every 20m, the luminance emitted would be 3000 candelas!

On the contrary, LuminoKrom® paint produces a very diffuse luminous intensity. It does not illuminate the environment, it illuminates itself, with the objective of being seen at a great distance. Thus, the luminance emitted by an axial guide (T3 / 6 cm) of LuminoKrom® over 100 m is only 300 millicandelas on average.

Combining user safety and respect for the environment

LuminoKrom® paint is a renewable energy light source, it is charged with UV during the day and illuminates at night, without electricity or CO2 emissions. Its use contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions caused by public lighting.

Cities that are switched off at night, developments in vegetated or protected areas, interurban links in the countryside, riverbanks… There are so many situations for which LuminoKrom® is a simple solution to improve the safety of users during their night-time movements.

The most economical solution on the market

The installation of LuminoKrom® paint requires little maintenance and is very economical (4.5k€/km T3 strip in 6cm). Its installation is fifty times less expensive than public lighting and five times less expensive than LED solar panels.

For a community, the use of luminous marking does not involve any expense associated with electricity consumption.

 

*Source: ADEME (French Agency for Ecological Transition)